The Spey expends considerable resource on monitoring each year, mainly by juvenile surveys (electrofishing) and smolt trapping. This is an important activity for a river of the Spey’s stature; it is essential that management decisions are based on an informed understanding of the status of juvenile stocks in the river.

In 2016 we completed the Spey mainstem annual salmon fry index surveys as well as year 2 rota tributaries, primarily the Avon and Truim. The major event affecting juvenile stocks in 2016 was the extreme high flows that hit the east of the catchment during Storm Frank but also in early January when even higher flows occurred in the Livet. The 2016 electrofishing report can be found here.

In the mainstem the salmon fry counts downstream of the Avon were about half of the previous year but upstream they were close to average upstream of the Avon confluence, with particularly good results from the upper river in the area from Spey Dam to Kingussie. Upstream of Spey Dam salmon fry were limited in distribution and for the first timed more prevelent in the very upper reaches and almost absent in the usual area upstream of the dam. The salmon parr counts in the mainstem were good, the highest on average if the impacted and volatile results from above Spey Dam are excluded. A high proportion of these parr were large enough to smolt in 2017.

The area of most concern was in the Avon where the mainstem salmon fry index surveys revealed a dramatic decline in the fry counts with lesser. although still concerning, declines in the parr. In the Avon tributaries the situation was better with good salmon parr densities. The status of the juvenile trout population in the Avon continues to be good. Given the significance of the Avon the intention is to repeat the Avon mainstem salmon fry index surveys in 2017, along with some of the tributary sites to establish if the juvenile stocks have recovered naturally.

The results from the Truim also exhibited a reduction compared to 2013 but it is important to distinguish between fluctuations in juvenile densities and long term trends. 2013, the last year when the Avon and Truim were surveyed in detail were years with high juvenile stock status. The declines noted in 2016 are explainable; the extreme high flows being the most likely cause resulting in redd washout. In 2015 the comparison with the results from the 2012 monitoring cycle were good with fry and parr densities up in almost all of the tributaries monitored.

In the 2016 burns monitored (those flowing directly into the Spey) the situation was one of stability with little change compared to the same sites when surveyed in 2013. This suggests that the impact of the high flows was higher in the larger watercourses, where stream power is so much greater.

Overall, whilst the winter spates had an impact the situation is relatively good, especially in comparision to other rivers. It is worth recording that declines in salmon fry densities/counts in 2016 were not restricted to the Spey, news regarding declines in Welsh rivers even made the BBC website. The reasons for the widespread nature of these low fry counts are likely to be varied (high temperatures were suggested as a potential cause in Wales).

Our understanding of the status of juvenile stocks in the Spey remains at a high level. In 2017 the major tributaries surveyed will be the Fiddich, Feshie, Tromie and Calder, as well as the annual salmon fry index surveys in the Spey mainstem.

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Spey Fishery Board

The report of the electrofishing surveys carried out by the Spey Foundation in 2015 is available to download by clicking here. This is a comprehensive report covering the results of the timed and density surveys. The summary and conclusion were:

Summary and Conclusions

• 60 salmon fry index timed electrofishing surveys were completed in the Spey mainstem with salmon fry were present in all sites downstream of Spey Dam.
• 82% of the Spey fry index sites, downstream of Spey Dam, were in the moderate to excellent categories.
• Upstream of Spey Dam salmon fry were found at 70% of the survey sites although all in very low or low categories.
• Salmon parr counts during the fry index surveys were down compared to 2013/14 with similar findings in the Spey mainstem density surveys.
• The salmon fry index surveys in the Dulnain found that although the counts were higher than recorded in 2012 there was no significant difference between 2012 and 2015.
• Salmon fry were found in all the Nethy index sites with the normal pattern of declining counts with altitude.
• The salmon fry index counts in the Luineag were in the moderate to good categories at all sites.
• In the Am Beanaidh the distribution of fry was atypical with higher counts found in the middle and upper sites. Channel instability in the lower reaches was highlighted.
• Overall statistically significant increases in densities of salmon, and trout, fry and parr were recorded at the sites surveyed in both 2012 and 2015.
• In the Dulnain density sites salmon and trout fry, and parr, were significantly higher than recorded in 2012.
• Monitoring of habitat restoration sites in the Dulnain catchment highlighted the value of such work, where opportunities exist, with improved fish densities in both diffuse pollution and morphological target areas.
• Annual monitoring of site in the upper Dulnain suggests that spawning stock abundance may limit production in more peripheral areas of the catchment.
• In the Nethy significant increases in salmon and trout fry, and trout parr, were recorded compared to 2012.
• In the Druie monitoring sites there were no significant differences in juvenile salmonid populations compared to 2012.
• In the burns monitoring sites only trout fry densities were significantly higher than recorded in 2012.
• Improved juvenile salmonid populations were recorded where fish passage improvements had been installed in the Mackalea and Broad Burns.
• Monitoring in the Tommore Burn continues to produce positive results with the smolt trap adding additional value and outputs.
• Parr densities recorded in 2015 in some sites were lower than recorded during recent surveys at the same sites however the parr present at these sites were of greater average size, highlighting the plasticity of the salmon lifecycle and their ability to cope with population disturbances.

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Spey Fishery Board